Collaborative Research: Climate and the Expansion of the Boreal Forest at Latitudinal Treeline: A Field-and Model-Based Investigation

LLOYD, ANDREA FASTIE， LLOYD明德学院怀俄明大学STARFIELD， ANTHONY明尼苏达大学该项目将研究全球变化情景下北方森林向北移动在应对气候变暖中的作用。森林扩展到目前被冻土带覆盖的地区将引起气候反馈，因为与冻土带相比，树木吸收了更多的碳、水和能量。因此，由于二氧化碳浓度增加而导致的气候变暖可能导致森林的扩张，通过吸收比被森林取代的冻土带更多的二氧化碳来减缓这种增长。研究人员将研究树线对冰期后变暖的生态反应，作为变暖反应的一个例子。他们还将研究森林火灾后造林的生态反应时间，以确定森林再生的速度，作为林木线移动的代表。

ABSTRACT OPP-9731717 OPP-9732017 LLOYD, ANDREA FASTIE, LLOYD MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING OPP-9732057 STARFIELD, ANTHONY UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA The project will examine the role of northward movement of boreal forests in response to warmer climates under a global change scenario. The expansion of forests into areas currently covered by tundra will cause climate feedbacks due to the greater uptake of carbon, water, and energy by trees compared to tundra. Therefore a climate shift to warmer temperatures resulting from an increased concentration of carbon dioxide could result in an expansion of forests that mitigate the increase by absorbing a greater amount of the carbon dioxide than the tundra replaced by the forest. The investigators will examine the ecological response of treeline to the post-glacial warming as an example of a warming response. They also will examine the ecological response time of forestation following forest fires in order to determine the pace of forest regeneration as a proxy for treeline movement.